Gone with the Wolf

chapter Twenty-Two


CHRISTMAS DAY, ONE MONTH LATER

“Watch your step,” Drake said, leading Emelia down the long, winding hall in the basement of his Seattle mansion.

Their home, she corrected, smiling inside.

The blindfold covering Emelia’s eyes slipped a bit, but didn’t give away whatever Drake was hiding. “The last time you blindfolded me it didn’t go over too well,” she said. “You sure you want to do this?”

“The last time I blindfolded you, I was a jackass.” Drake guided her around a corner. “Thanks to you, I’ve thoroughly learned my lesson.”

Stealing behind her, Drake looped his arms around Emelia’s waist and tugged her against him. One step at a time, he led her into a room that smelled sweetly of vanilla and wine.

The wine cellar.

“Okay,” he said, excitement lacing his voice. “You can look.”

Emelia yanked the blindfold down and gasped. He’d turned the wine cellar into a romantic sanctuary, with a plush red blanket strewn on the floor, pillows leaning against the wine racks, and tea light candles flickering in the dark. There had to be hundreds of tiny lights scattered on the marble-topped tables, the hardwood floor, and the wooden ledge of the rack.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, leaning her head back on Drake’s chest. “Thank you.”

“Merry Christmas.” He spun her around, keeping her tucked against his body, and caught her mouth. He embraced her full-bodied, hip to hip, mouth to mouth, dizzying her as his tongue swept past her lips. The kiss buzzed down to Emelia’s toes—she’d never tire of the feelings Drake gave her.

She pulled back, gazing deep into her husband’s eyes. He was her greatest wish…one she didn’t think she’d ever receive. He was everything she never knew she wanted. “Merry Christmas to you, too.”

“I thought we could exchange presents down here, before dinner.”

“Okay,” she said, unsure how Drake would respond when she gave him his gift. Luckily, she’d brought his gift with her.

“I’ve wanted to give this to you for a while.” He dug around in the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a small box wrapped in sparkly silver wrapping, tied with a fluffy red bow. “But I thought tonight would be perfect. Do you realize we met almost two months ago today?”

Her insides tingled as she took the box and twirled it in her hand. “Drake…”

“Open it.”

She untied the bow and let it fall, then tore through the wrapping. A black velvet box remained in the palm of her hand. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but Emelia knew what came in tiny black velvety boxes. Hands shaking, Emelia unhinged the lid and opened it. Her eyes met Drake’s as tears began to fall.

“Drake, it’s…it’s beautiful.” Her throat constricted. She couldn’t speak.

“Do you really like it?”

The ring was big and sparkling and the exact opposite of what she would’ve picked for herself. A two-carat round diamond rose from the center of the ring and was surrounded by brilliant diamond clusters that wrapped around the band. It was breathtaking. The fact that he’d picked it for her, that he’d envisioned this ring on her finger when he perused hundreds of other rings, made Emelia’s heart skip a beat.

When her eyes met Drake’s again, he was kneeling in front of her. The sight almost buckled her.

“I know it’s not something you would normally wear,” he said, “but I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, just like I couldn’t take my eyes off of you the first time we met. From the first moment I met you, I’ve been completely, insanely captivated by your radiance.”

Stomach in her throat, Emelia gazed at the ring. It was elaborate, and greater than her wildest dreams. It was Drake.

Holding her hand, Drake took the ring and poised it at the tip of her finger. “This ring is a promise of my love to you, Emelia. It’s a symbol of my unending love, and my desire to make you happy until the end of your days.”

As he slipped the ring on her finger, Emelia choked back tears. The ring fit snugly. Perfectly. When she held up her hand to see the diamond sparkle, she saw Drake. A part of him fitting perfectly on her finger, as he fit perfectly in her heart and in her life.

“It’s perfect. I love it,” she breathed, coiling her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“I love you ten times more.” He stood and enveloped her in a heart-tingling embrace. “And I have one more surprise for you.”

“More?” She couldn’t handle more. Drake had already given her everything she’d ever wanted.

Picking up an opened bottle of Château Lafite from the wine barrel beside them, Drake poured two glasses. “A toast…using the wine that started it all.”

Emelia laughed, eyeing the bottle, remembering how bitter she’d been that night at the party. “That’s so sweet.”

Drake offered Emelia the fuller of the two glasses. She took it, tasting the wine’s mint aroma before a drop of it passed her lips. Its aroma was robust without being overpowering. She swirled the dark liquid around the bottom and wondered how she’d tell Drake that she didn’t want a single drink of it.

“To the past, present, and future,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.

“To our future,” Emelia said, and watched him tip back the glass.

When he noticed she hadn’t drunk anything, Drake said, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not drinking tonight.” She tried to keep her thoughts quiet so he wouldn’t read them.

“Come on, Emie, it’s Christmas. Have a drink with me.”

“Well, that’s part of my present to you,” she whispered.

His eyebrows hitched as confusion set in. “You’re staying sober…as a gift to me?”

Slowly, she brought her hand to her stomach. “I’m not supposed to drink in my condition.”

“In your—your what?” His eyes went wide as a smile teased the corners of his full lips. “Are you pregnant?”

She nodded, bursting. “Four weeks. I know it’s early, but I’ve taken, like, ten tests and they all came out positive so…” She couldn’t hide her elation. Could Drake see her glowing? “Merry Christmas!”

“Emelia!” Drake swept her into his arms and swung her around, then stopped as if he realized he could hurt her. “That’s great—that’s amazing, I’m—I’m going to be a father!” He dropped to his knees, wrapped his arms around her hips, and kissed her stomach through her sweater. “Hear that, little one? I’m your father.”

Emelia swooned, brushing her hands through Drake’s dark hair. Would their baby have hair like his? Coarse and thick? Or would its hair be blond and wispy like hers? Would their baby’s eyes be wild and blue or dark and mysterious? She couldn’t wait to find out.

“I’m going to love you more than anyone else on this earth,” Drake whispered against her. “Well, I’ll love you and your mother equally. She’s a very special woman, your mother,” he said, “and I’ll be right here to make sure you treat her right.”

Her heart exploded, right then and there.

Drake rose to his feet and planted a kiss on Emelia’s lips that spoke to her soul. They’d be together now and always.

As Drake pulled away, brushing his hands lovingly down Emelia’s cheeks, she sensed a mild wave of panic brewing within him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I might be jumping the gun, but do you need to sit down? I mean, what do you need? I want to make this pregnancy as smooth as possible for you. Do you want to find someone to take over some of the workload at the office? Or maybe hire someone to take over extra duties at the Knight Owl?”

“No,” Emelia laughed. “I’m fine. I can do everything that I could do yesterday. At some point I think I’ll probably need to stop working such late hours at the office with you, but I can’t cut back, not yet, anyway. There’s something I have to find first.”

“Something you have to find? What are you talking about?” His hand brushed down her back, and stopped above the round of her backside. His touch warmed her, tingling her in places he’d just visited a few hours ago.

“When I first started working at Wilder Financial,” she said, “there were some important documents that I…um, accidentally shredded that I need to locate in the computer system, reprint, and file.”

“That was you?” He spanked her playfully. “What a bad secretary you are.”

She smiled. “I’d like to make it up to you.”

“Now we’re talking.” He kissed her, pulled back the collar of her sweater, and continued scattering kisses across her shoulder. “If you work your shift really hard, I think you just might make Secretary of the Year.”

“Mr. Drake Wilder, I do believe that’s something I would say!” Emelia laughed at the thought that she was rubbing off on him. What would his business associates think?

He smiled, a devious twinkle in his eye. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a howl.”